Speech: Our VII Networking social event: Spain in a global society

Madrid, 20th October 2011
VII NETWORKING EVENT
(VII ENCUENTRO SOCIAL)
“THE FIRST GLOBAL SOCIETY OF COUNTRY FRIENDS”
Dear friends, Queridos amigos,

It is my pleasure to be here with you tonight as the founder of the First Global
Society of Country Friends, a Madrid-based think tank that began in 2009 to
promote a professional image of Spain both inside and outside the country itself and among all the people who are friends of Spain. So, welcome to the
European Union, welcome to Spain.

First of all, in the name of all of us, let me thank you very much indeed for your
presence, especially those who came from the U.S. and especially to our
guests, Professor Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science at National Distance
Learning University Ms. Lopez Nieto and to the Dean & Managing Director of
the Georgetown MBA Career Center, Ms. Amorosa.

The First Global Society of Country Friends is a 22nd Century club and
bipartisan think tank, aiming to foster a personal commitment to the professional image of Spain and its promotion among Spaniards around the world and the friends of Spain living with us.

Our Society was founded as a result of a common understanding: to fortify our
national community while we are capable of building up a new global society
managing its complexity and interdependency. Only by working together can we be fruitful and respectful people to the rest of the world. Not only as a nation but also as a group.

For the great majority of people, their careers are the way to make money and
win social recognition and prestige. Obviously, without failing to recognize these objectives, we need to see our careers as a way to build up a narrow and very special relationship with Spain, which allows us to start an exciting personal path for personal development and progress.

We are sharply focused on our professional career development as the best
method to promote the image and brand of Spain. This is what our project is
about.

Our First Global Society of Country Friends is really a culture, or even better a
philosophy. We think that education is no longer a closed process but an
adventure that lasts all our lives. The more we educate ourselves, the more we
educate people, and the more chances for the benefit of the global civil society.
Our minds are the new coal and steel. Universities are the new mines to exploit.
Just think in a simple motto: “to reflect on” and “to create”.

The fact is that this is one of the most exciting times in history. Why? Because
we are standing on the precipice of accomplishing one of the greatest dreams
that humanity has ever envisioned: a global society is emerging. At this time in
history, we are walking the first mile, and it isn’t proving to be easy.

Few will dispute the claim that our world is changing. It is now complex and
interdependent. We work and live in a new global society, where trips and long
periods of time abroad are common practice. The world has moved from a sole
international view (state-to-state) to a global view (state-to-global civil society).
Nowadays, the main point should be sharing the traditional sovereignty based
on states since the 18th Century. We passed from the king to the state, and it is
time to pass from the state to the civil society. What this question boils down to
is: What has changed? Why has it changed? What are the implications of these
changes?

We believe success in this endeavour depends not on a huge, unlikely and
undesirable global government but rather on a huge and strong civil society,
and on the individuals within it. This is the proper way for respectful global
governance with the people.

We are believers that our First Global Society of Country Friends accomplishes
so much, not because of the power of one but in the frame of the group. Please
let me tell you that set into the wall of the Church of the Ascension on London´s
Blackheath is a small plaque that says: “Fellowship is life and lack of it is death,
but in hell there is no brotherhood but every man for himself”.

We live in a world in which it is undeniably true that no nation has any chance to survive without the extreme support of its citizens all over the world by sharing the state sovereignty, and cooperating among other nations and people of the world. Spain is not an exception. No individual state in an interdependent world, no matter how powerful or competent, can address global issues ranging from climate change, to financial regulation or global poverty and diseases, to extremist terrorist networks (Global Governance, 2011). It is surprising that the tendency to think we are absolutely independent is so extended into a globalized society like ours.

Nevertheless, just stop and think that the human being is absolutely dependant, as we ourselves do not decide to come into to this world.

Paradoxical though it may seem, we support a strong nation in a global world as the sole way to give suitable tools, values and ideas to the building up process of global governance. So that it is our duty to share our values to be strong and,
to be strong, we must focus on those things we share. It is worth stating at this
point that we contribute to the process of thinking, both locally and globally. This thinking is deeply engraved in the Spanish soul and we are pretty sure that all of you coming from a Societas Iesu University will understand our universal and global vision.

It deserves special consideration that the western world has created this new
global world. Technology, science, management and a very precise belief in the
dignity of the human being are the rules of western globalization. As a result of
its western origin globalization is a bet on liberty against tyranny. This is our
hope. This is our challenge.

To resume, the First Global Society of Country Friends wishes that Spain plays
a role building up both the European governance and the global governance
structure based on a global civil society, and our point of view is the
improvement of our careers while consolidating the Image of Spain.

Thank-you very much for your attention and now let me ask you something
about your presence here. Why Spain? Why have you chosen Spain? Please,
share with us your personal views regarding the relationship between the US
and Spain.

It is time for an open discussion regarding to the subject.

Thank you, once again.